BITES. To 5 February.

London

BITES
by Kay Adshead

Bush Theatre To 5 February 2005
Mon-Sat 8pm
Runs 1hr 20min No interval

TICKET: 020 77610 4224
www.bushtheatre.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 17 January

Seven fine courses don't quite add up to a balanced diet.It's not only TV that's chef-ed out these days. Following Dinner at the National and the Gate's Arab-Israeli Cookbook comes Mama Quillo, a women-led theatre company focusing on human rights abuses, premiering Kay Adshead's play at the Bush. Adshead became chief among heart-on-sleeve dramatists with her asylum-seeker solo The Bogus Woman several years back.

Like most theatre food pieces, the comestibles form a metaphor. On this atrocity world-tour, the unfolding meal reveals human horrors that are the opposite of nourishment. It's a seven-scene political cabaret that opens with knives being sharpened and ends with someone being salami-sliced at the neck. Between, the course names range from poetic in application to crude puns (jelly for gelignite). In this, one of the best scenes, Mo seemingly a Manchester Muslim - taunts Sammy Jr, the American soldier holding him captive with a tension that breaks into momentary violence.

The vital point is that it's played by women. Their masculine usurped attire spreads to overt adoption of male voice and movement, generalising masculinity in war and divorcing it from essential humanity. By contrast, Ice-cream (served separately, but never mind) relies on right-sex' playing as three burkha-clad women enjoy forbidden ices from the fridge, until the men arrive.

One is then guarded by an 11-year old boy, already used to shouting whore' at women, but she's apparently safe because she saved his commander. Yet her recall of her nursing assaults the officer's self-respect. The consequences are given terrifying intensity by the disparity yet awful similarity of childhood desire for sweet things and the urge to kill.

There are few light moments, though the early identification of God and Wife with wealthy Americans is one. Perhaps there could be greater tonal variety or, at least, some more contentious arguments. Fine as these parables individually are, their shock twists always reach a predictable point of view.

Each, though, is enriched by superb performances. Yvonne Gidden and Karina Fernandez as the Jelly soldiers, Ishia Bennison's richly-voiced blossoming of humanity as Ice-cream moves to its climax are just two examples of the precision-pitched acting throughout Lisa Goldman's exemplary production.

Chef/God/Baby/Cop/Bus Driver/MQ/General: Chris Jarman
Cookie Pottleheimer/Sister 1/L: Ishia Bennison
Harry/Hakim/Sammy/boy Soldier: Owen Oakeshott
Harry's Wife/Hakim's Wife/Phillip/X/Sammy Jr: Yvonne Gidden
Angelica/Sister 2/PA/V/Mo: Karina Fernandez

Director: Lisa Goldman
Designer: Penelope Challen
Lighting: Jenny Kagan
Sound: Sarah Weltman

2005-01-18 02:03:01